Governor Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott today announced the 2018 Black History Month student contest winners and Excellence in Education award recipients. This year’s theme was “A Celebration of Innovative African-American Leaders”and the winners were honored last night during the annual Black History Month awards ceremony at the Florida Governor’s Mansion. Black History Month is celebrated every year in Florida during the month of February.

Governor Scott said, “My wife, Ann, and I are honored to celebrate the 2018 Black History Month student and educator contest winners. It’s great to recognize the hard work of these Florida students and educators and celebrate the contributions and achievements of African-Americans throughout our history.”

First Lady Ann Scott said, “It’s an honor to recognize this year’s Black History Month contest winners and thank all of the outstanding students who participated across the state. It is wonderful to see students taking advantage of this opportunity to earn a four-year Florida College Plan scholarship while learning about Florida’s innovative African-American leaders.”

Volunteer Florida Chief Executive Officer Vivian Myrtetus said, “It was a pleasure joining the Governor and First Lady tonight to recognize and celebrate the outstanding work of Florida students and teachers. We are so thankful to all our sponsors who made this important event possible—especially the Florida Prepaid College Foundation which provided three, four-year college scholarships to our essay contest winners.”

Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said, “It is an honor to join Governor Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott in celebrating Black History Month. I applaud these students and educators for the exceptional way in which they recognized the countless African-Americans who have and continue to contribute greatly to our state and nation.”

The 2018 Florida Black History Month theme was “A Celebration of Innovative African American Leaders.”

Award recipients are as follows:

Governor Scott and First Lady Ann Scott honored three outstanding educators with the Excellence in Education Award. These individuals were nominated by students and peers.

The following student essay contest winners – one elementary, one middle, and one high school student – earned a four-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation.

Florida A&M University (FAMU) will conclude its celebration of Black History Month with its annual Harambee Festival on Saturday, February 24, 2018, at Tallahassee’s Cascades Park, located at 1001 S. Gadsden St., from 11 a.m.- 6 p.m.

A cultural celebration designed to inspire unity in the community; this year’s festivities will include live entertainment by a variety of local artists and the nationally acclaimed performance group Tallahassee Nights Live.

The celebration will kick off with greetings from FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., and include remarks from County Commissioner Nick Maddox, Mayor Pro Tempore Curtis Richardson, Council on Culture and Arts Director Audra Pittman, Visit Tallahassee Director Kerri Post, and Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Chair Heidi Otway.

FAMU employees, students, and other Tallahassee community members founded the original Harambee festival in Tallahassee more than 20 years ago. Since it’s resurgence in 2016, the annual festival has drawn thousands of attendees from as far as South Carolina and Miami to celebrate the contributions of African-American culture.

The FAMU Harambee Festival is free to the public. For more information and a schedule of performances and classes, visit FAMU.edu/Harambee.

WHAT: History-making judge, attorney, and Florida A&M University Board of Trustees member Belvin Perry Jr., will deliver an inspiring keynote address during FAMU’s annual Black History Convocation.WHEN: Friday, February 10, 2017
10:10 a.m.WHERE: Jake Gaither Gymnasium
1835 Wahnish Way
Tallahassee, Florida 32307WHO: Interim President Larry Robinson, Ph.D.
Attorney and Retired Judge Belvin Perry Jr.
FAMU Concert Chorale
FAMU Wind Symphony
FAMU Student Government AssociationWHY: Perry is widely known for his work to combat homelessness, address wrongful conviction issues, and provide support to help citizens overcome drug addiction. He also presided over the Casey Anthony case – one of the most talked about cases in America.
Perry is the first African American to be elected to the circuit bench of the Ninth Circuit without first being appointed. He is also the first African-American chair of the Florida Conference of Circuit Court Judges.
He is currently an attorney with the nationally acclaimed law firm Morgan & Morgan P.A.
The public is invited to attend.

An updated list of Black History Month events at FAMU is available here.

Daytona State College will commemorate Black History Month in February with a variety of activities, highlighted by a series of rare films featuring African-American filmmakers to be shown in the Southeast Museum of Photography’s Madorsky Theater on the Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. First Fight. Then Fiddle. Black Identity in American Cinema 1920 -2016 showcases films from the new collection Pioneers of African-American Cinema, a series of works by black filmmakers focusing on race issues that went unaddressed by Hollywood for decades. The series will continue with new showings through mid-April.First Fight. Then Fiddle was curated by DSC photography professor Eric Breitenbach, who noted, “These films are rare and remarkable. Very few people are aware that they even exist, and our spring series marks the first time they will be screened in the Central Florida area.”
Each film in the series will be introduced by a Daytona State faculty member, and be followed by a question-and-answer session. All films begin at 6 p.m. and are closed captioned whenever possible. Admission is free and open to the public.
The series line-up is as follows:

For more information on the films, contact Breitenbach, (386) 506-3542, or museum director James Pearson, (386) 506-3350.
In addition, the public is invited to a free Black History Day event hosted by DSC’s Co-Curricular Activities Department on Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the Student Landing on the Daytona Beach Campus from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will feature music and presentations on African-American history and culture.
Also, the college’s African-American Student Union is planning one commemorative event a week during February. Details will be posted on the college’s website, DaytonaState.edu.